An accelerometer typically employs a damped proof mass on a spring. Under the influence of external accelerations a proof mass deflects from its neutral position. This deflection is measured and from it the acceleration is calculated. Commonly, the capacitance between a set of fixed electrodes and a set of electrodes attached to the proof mass is measured. This method is simple, reliable, and inexpensive.
Modern accelerometers are often small micro electro-mechanical systems (MEMS), and consist of little more than a cantilever beam with a proof mass (also known as seismic mass). Damping results from the residual gas sealed in the device. A common way to make such devices is to etch the components from a single silicon block. As the proof mass moves, the displacement between this proof: mass and the base of the cantilever beam on which it is suspended is measured.
Because they are inexpensive and small, MEMS accelerometers are often used as components in many modern devices. Solid state accelerometers are found in many current smart phones, for example, so that the phone software can detect its orientation and rotate the display accordingly.